c. 1975

Goblet

American, 1893 - 1998

Known as the "Mama of Dada," Beatrice Wood began her long artistic life among Dada circles in Paris and New York, where she was associated with Marcel Duchamp and Man Ray. Wood first began working in ceramics in her forties, after moving to Ojai, California, where she became fascinated with the luster glazes used by Persian and Mediterranean potters, and studied the technique with Otto Natzler. Over a fifty-year career, she continued to experiment with different luster effects, marrying sumptuous colors and shimmering surfaces to bold, simple vessels. Chalice typifies the intentionally naive, unschooled quality that Wood sought in her work.